Fruit

May 8, 2018

Right now they only look disheveled, while the others are neatly trimmed. Most of the vineyards have been tended, but a few have been left to their own. In another month, the untended vines will look as luxuriant with foliage as those that have been pruned, but come fall, the difference will make itself known. The untended vines will be full, but their yield will be stunted, the plant’s energy having gone to producing more leaves instead of grapes. 

We often talk about growing as Christians, as if that were the goal of Christian living. I seldom hear talk about fruitfulness, but the whole point of growth is fruit. We can sport luxurious Christian foliage, but if we aren’t producing fruit, we aren’t fulfilling our purpose. Fruitfulness is a direct result of pruning, tending by the vinedresser who knows what needs to remain, and what should be trimmed and discarded. Experiencing pain in some areas of my life is a good thing. It’s a sign that God is at work, and a precursor to fruitfulness. 

Today the pruned vines look stark and barren, but the end result of all that hard work by the vinedresser will be a bountiful crop. The untended vines are abandoned, left without anyone who cares about their purpose. When we are being pruned, it may feel as if God doesn’t know or care, when in reality, the pain is from his hand and for his purposes. Looking good is not the point; fruit that blesses other is. And it only comes when we allow God to prune us early on.